3
Pambupatti is a peaceful village. It is inhabited by different people speaking different languages.

4
They follow different religions but they honour all religions equally.

5
They trust and help one another. They are kind and hospitable. Prem has seen religious frenzy among the people of his village.

6
The people of his village fight in the name of religion. Therefore, he was determined not to return to his village.

7
Makara dislikes tortoises because they are slow and stupid and carry their houses on their backs.

8
He dislikes snakes because they are slimy and weird creatures.

9
He dislikes lizards because they have strange habits and some of them change colour every minute.

10
To begin with, the jungle was full of a strange smell the smell of rot. No one was left to eat rats.

11
So they became bold and took over the forest. They even ate the eggs of lizards and crocodiles.

12
Frogs also became nuisance. Thus all kinds of awful things began to happen in the forest.

13
Prem wants to tell the story of reptiles to the people of his village so that they may live in peace.

14
They should consider the importance of each other. No, I don’t agree with the view. The powerful can befool others for some time but they cannot do so for all the times.

15
The powerful is one whereas the weak are many. When the weak gain courage, the power of the strong slips away.

16
If I were a baby crocodile, I would tell Makara that he was not only wrong but unjust also.

17
A powerful man should treat all as equals. He should not distinguish between them.

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Ques1 In what way is Pambupatti different from any other village? Ans1 Pambupatti was different from other villages because many kinds of people lived there—dark, fair, tall, short. They spoke many languages. Some ate meat, some did not. Some prayed in a small temple at the edge of the forest. Others prayed in a mosque some miles away.

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Ques2 Why is Prem determined not to return to his village? Ans2 Prem was determined never to return to his village because he burned with shame at the hate and violence in his village.

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Ques3 Why did Makara dislike tortoises, snakes and lizards? Write a line about each. Ans3 Makara disliked tortoises because he thought they were slow and stupid, and they carried their houses on their backs. He disliked snakes because according to him they were slimy and made funny noises. The reason he disliked lizards was because they had the strangest habits and some of them even changed colours.

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Ques4 What went wrong when the tortoises, snakes and lizards left the forest? Ans4 When the tortoises, snakes and lizards left the forest, everything went wrong. Awful things began to happen. The dead bodies of animals started rotting, and the smell of rot spread all over the forest. The rats grew bolder by the day. The frogs grew bigger and started eating the baby crocodiles. The insects were there in millions, and they were growing bigger and nastier by the day.

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Ques5 Why do you think Prem wants to tell the story of the reptiles to the people of his village? Ans5 Prem wanted to tell the story of the reptiles to the people of his village so that they would realize their mistake. He wanted them to stop hating each other and put an end to the violence.

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Ques6 Do you agree that it is difficult not to go along with someone who is very strong and powerful? Express your views frankly and clearly. Ans6 Yes, it is very difficult not to go along with someone who is very strong and powerful. This is because of the feeling of fear. However, one should remember that it is difficult, but not impossible.

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Ques7 If you were a baby crocodile, would you tell Makara that he was wrong? What would you say to convince him? Ans7 Yes, if I was a baby crocodile, I would tell Makara that he was wrong. I would tell him that all the awful things like the rot in the forest and the increasing populations of rats, frogs and insects were because he had sent the tortoises, snakes and lizards away.